STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Police in New Jersey arrested a pair of Staten Island men and a Brooklyn resident last month after they allegedly burglarized a cigar lounge and fled from authorities.
The arrested men were identified as Christopher Sollena, 36, and Joseph Rinaldi, 31, both residents of Staten Island’s South Shore, and Luis Morales, 47, of Brooklyn.
According to officials, on Jan. 4 at around 11:35 p.m., Hanover Township Police were notified of an activated burglar alarm at the Casa De Montecristo Cigar Lounge located at 310 Route 10 in the Whippany section of the Township.
Hanover Township Police initiated pursuit after observing a white utility van speeding away from a burglarized commercial business on Route 10 East in January.Google Maps
When police arrived, an officer observed a white utility van exiting the property of the business at a high rate of speed, the Hanover Township Police said.
The officer was able to catch up to the vehicle as it travelled along Route 10 East. During the pursuit, the officer “observed motor vehicle violations associated with the registration of the vehicle,” police said.
The officer attempted to stop the vehicle after witnessing the infractions, cops said, but the motorist kept driving.
The vehicle traveled along Route 10 and through nearby neighborhoods before stopping on a residential street, police say.
The trio tried to flee on foot, but one person was quickly caught, authorities said.
With two suspects still at large, Hanover Township Police requested assistance from additional law enforcement agencies, authorities said: East Hanover, Parsippany, Morris Township, Morristown Police Departments and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.
“These additional resources were instrumental in the continued investigation at the business, which was confirmed to have been burglarized,” a spokesperson said in a statement to the Advance/SILive.com. “They also secured the vehicle that was allegedly used to commit the burglary and successfully apprehended the remaining suspects.”
The cooperation between multiple law enforcement agencies resulted in the recovery of items which are believed to be the proceeds from the burglary, police said.
Sollena, Rinaldi and Morales were charged with third-degree burglary, second-degree theft and were remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a pre-trial detention hearing.
“The Hanover Township Police Department continues the investigation into this incident,” a spokesperson said. “Thank you to the law enforcement agencies that responded and the residents that continually assist and support the Hanover Township Police Department.”